Books With Heart & A Killer Soundtrack

The leaves are crisp and colourful, the weather is no longer sweltering, and people are obsessing over pumpkin spice again. It’s the perfect time of year to curl up in a cozy blanket and read — or, if you’re me, curl up with a laptop and write.

As I prepare for my next project, it seemed like the perfect time to do a general update on my work.

The Autumn Brody series

The prequel to the series, Pretty In Scarlet, is now completely posted on Wattpad. Six chapters in length, it reveals the final days of Nikki Lang’s life, and how her choices shape Autumn Brody’s journey. While it reveals some plot points of Change of Season, it doesn’t spoil the ending. It does add a little something extra to the story, and I encourage you to check it out and review it on Goodreads.

Talk of my new project seems to have convinced some readers that Waiting For A Star To Fall is the end of the series. Let me clear that up right now: I fully intend to write more books for this series — two, to be specific. There are four seasons, after all. The new project is one I’ve been mulling over for nearly seven years, and has finally come together in my head.

Star was the book where Canadian bands somehow knew just what I needed. While July Talkfound a way to kickstart my Muse, another band found the way to answer a niggling character question.

When I began writing Change of Season, the first scene I clearly visualized was Autumn and Andrew’s proper introduction. Fleeing an unknown stalker beneath ground, Autumn literally runs into Andrew. Forced to trust him, she is relieved when he helps her to safety.

Just as I immediately knew Autumn was a vibrant redhead, I also knew that Andrew never went anywhere without his leather jacket. I’m not necessarily a fan of leather, so this wasn’t a matter of personal preference. Nothing about his personality necessarily spoke to wearing leather. But Andrew was adamant: if it was cool weather, he wanted that well-worn leather jacket.

Fast-forward to 2014, when I began plotting Waiting For A Star To Fall. While spinning music on shuffle, the song “Leather Jacket” by Arkells came on. At first, it struck me as a great track for these two because of Autumn’s personal trauma and Andrew’s desire to help her. But then, the chorus lodged in my skull and everything made sense:

Of course Andrew refuses to let go of that jacket. It belonged to his father.

Planting a glossy kiss on his cheek, she smirked. “Cruel would have been making you wear the leather jacket.”

The infamous black leather jacket. She’d learned six months into their relationship—on Andrew’s nineteenth birthday—that it had belonged to his father. When he wore it, Andrew felt like he was still around to guide him through the idiocy teenagers excel at. It made her love its soft creases and glitchy zipper all the more. It had also lent an extra layer of sentiment to their shared love of “Leather Jacket” by Arkells—proof that there really was a song for everything.

“I would, you know.” Autumn startled at the sound of his voice. “If you really wanted me to, I’d wear it in this weather. I’d pass out, obviously, but I’d extract my revenge with some sort of uncomfortable lingerie,” he added playfully.

Her disbelief dripped from her response. “You wouldn’t.”

His hand squeezed her newly bejeweled one. “I would. But I know you wouldn’t ask me to wear leather during a heat wave.”

“Oh? You think you have me all figured out, then?”

“Not quite,” Andrew admitted with a smile…

The mystery was solved, and these two found a new song for their personal playlist. It became a staple track of the writing process, and led to a few sweet exchanges between the characters as a bonus, including the one above. Take a listen below!

She always looked tired but dazzled as a drunk
She even pulled off that stupid haircut
She said, “I don’t need a sponsor or the best lover
Some man that sees me as some fixer-upper.
The last few years, I’ve been running for cover
Trying to sleep so I can visit my mother.”

You called me up from a pay phone
I said hang tight, I can drive you home
I pulled on up and with a southern accent
I offered you my dad’s leather jacket…

I happen to love Fall the best of all the seasons–so much so, I named a character after it. I tend to move in cycles with the creative process, and I’m sure other writers have their own rhythm. For me, this season tends to engage my Muse like no other time of year.

Or maybe I write better with hot chocolate. Who knows?

September is pretty special, because it brings the birthday of Autumn Brody, the haunted (in more ways than one) protagonist of Change Of Seasonand Waiting For A Star To Fall. I know you’re not supposed to play favourites with your children, but let’s get real, writers: we have favourites. We have our darlings (whom we sometimes kill). Autumn is one of mine.

Before I move on to my next project (a standalone work with no ghosts!), I wanted to say thank you to those who’ve embraced the series, or simply support indie authors. It may be Autumn’s birthday, but since she’s not big on attention, she insists you get the gifts.

Autumn turns 20 on September 21st! Let’s Party!

Starting September 27th (Goodreads won’t let us party sooner), I’m launching new giveaways on Goodreads for signed copies of Change Of Season and Waiting For A Star To Fall! Bonus: entering the giveaway for one book means winning both! Follow me on Goodreads and get ready to win.

On September 21st, both books will be free on Kindle! If you haven’t met Autumn yet, it’s the perfect chance without breaking the bank.

Also on September 21st, you’ll want to head over to Wattpad, where I’ll be debuting the first two chapters of the series prequel, Pretty In Scarlet. Told from the perspective of Nikki Lang, Scarlet stands alone, but serves to add new insights into the mystery at the heart of Change Of Season. It also features several fun nods to Autumn’s world.

I am thrilled to share this new story from the Brodyverse with the world, before (temporarily) stepping away from these characters to dig into my new project. I hope you love Nikki as much as I do.

Remember:

Follow me on Goodreads so you don’t miss the giveaways
Pick up your ebooks on Amazon, if you haven’t already done so
Meet Nikki over at Wattpad, where she’ll be sharing her version of the truth

As for the new project, details are coming soon! I’ll be starting it in November, as part of NaNoWriMo.

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A.C. Dillon is an insomnia-driven Canadian author, who enjoys parlaying personal sleeplessness into keeping readers from their own slumber. When not sending a laptop into steaming fits of overworked rage, A.C. can be found listening to a formidable music collection or watching Empire Records for the 338th time.

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